I’ve said before that I appreciate how winemaker Jeremy Weintraub puts SITE in ALL CAPS. It’s a forceful statement of purpose, and his wines consistently deliver on their single-minded promise: To showcase the singularities of some of the greatest vineyard sites in California, and especially the Central Coast. You may recognize the SITE label: We’ve offered several of Weintraub’s wines in the past, each of them pitch-perfect expressions of Rhône Valley grape varieties grown in California. I supposed the easiest way to describe Weintraub is as a new-generation “Rhône Ranger,” following in the footsteps of Bonny Doons, Qupé, and other Californian pioneers, but there’s also a very ‘Burgundian’ quality to his vineyard-focused approach. Today’s voluptuous red blend shines the spotlight on the Larner Vineyard, the signature vineyard of the recently established Ballard Canyon AVA, in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Fruit from this organically farmed jewel has been featured in vineyard-designate wines from some 23 different producers, including Sine Qua Non, Palmina, and Herman Story, and if you’re a fan of Southern Rhône Grenache grown on sand (think Château Rayas), today’s Grenache-driven 2016 is going to knock your socks off. Stated simply, Weintraub has a masterful touch with Rhône Valley grape varieties, from Syrah to Viognier to Grenache, but as he’ll be the first to tell you, it all starts in the vineyard: As Robert Parker once said of Larner: “If there was a Grand Cru classification system in California like there is in France, Larner Vineyard would certainly be among the Grand Crus.” All I can say in addition is that SITE is doing this site proud. Tasting this wine had us all nodding our heads in appreciation. At once elegant and powerful, there is a rich, velvety texture supported by marvelous energy and drive.
With his impressive roster of SITE wines, Jeremy Weintraub can now be said to have established himself as one of the top producers on California’s Central Coast. His “day job” is the winemaker at Adelaida Vineyards in Paso Robles, but with SITE he has devoted his attention to a cherished trio of vineyards. He only sources from three parcels for all the wines in the lineup and they are all top-tier: Stolpman, Bien Nacido, and today’s Larner Vineyard, located in the southern portion of the Ballard Canyon AVA. Since the valley runs north-south, it is protected from the colder ocean influence, making it warmer and less windy than nearby areas. The soil composition of Larner Vineyard is well-draining sand with limestone bedrock. These weather and soil conditions made it an ideal candidate for planting Rhône varieties, of which Syrah is the dominant percentage—followed by Mourvèdre, Grenache, Viognier, and, in an Italian twist, Malvasia Bianca. The 134-acre Larner property currently holds 35 acres of grapevines first planted in 1999; they’re now in their “prime production years,” and it shows.
In the 2016 vintage, Weintraub combined 75% Grenache with 20% Syrah and 5% Viognier, the latter adding some intriguing aromatic lift in the spirit of great Côte-Rôtie. The Syrah and Viognier were co-fermented and aged together in small French oak barrels. The Grenache was fermented on its own and aged in larger puncheon barrels (500 liters). Everything aged for 18 months before being blended together and bottled.
The 2016 vintage yielded a fairly generous crop but one with nice acidity and structure, lending some nerve to this plush, deep, crowd-pleasing red. In the glass, the Larner Vineyard is a deep magenta/garnet extending almost to the rim. The nose is a combination of ripe fruits and exotic spices including blackberry, mulberry, blueberry compote, dried rose petal, clove, anise, and lavender. On the palate, it is rich and ripe while retaining a wet-stone minerality that keeps it light on its feet. While it is ready to drink almost immediately upon opening, a quick decant would help coax even more aromas out. Thirty minutes in a decanter at 60 degrees is perfect, before serving in tall Bordeaux glasses. I recommend having a hearty meal to accompany it, something like cassoulet or a lamb tagine. This wine should age another 5-10 years, so don’t be afraid to buy a few bottles to monitor its development over time. This really is “new California” at its best. Enjoy!
